National Children’s Language & Literacy Conference to be Held in St. Louis
This is a first-time historic national gathering of experts, including speech-language therapists and dyslexia specialists, coming from Alaska to Washington, D.C. The 2022 in-person conference is vital to advancing speech, language and literacy development through sharing breakthrough programs presented by a wide variety of cutting-edge experts. Specialized topics include Speech-Language Pathology & Communication Disorders, Literacy and Dyslexia, Professional Development, Equity and Inclusion, Telehealth, and Practice Management.
The Walker Scottish Rite Clinic and Maryville University are co-hosting the conference along with the Scottish Rite Foundation of Missouri and the LIGHT Foundation. “We are honored to present the 2022 conference in St. Louis, a region long known for a number of outstanding hearing and speech programs,” said Jacob Gutshall, director of the Walker Scottish Rite Clinic. “Raising awareness about the importance of early intervention and discussing successful strategies, that can be utilized both in-person and virtually, is key to our positive impact in changing children’s lives.”
Dedicated to addressing barriers to effective communication, the Walker Clinic and other “RiteCare” centers in the Scottish Rite network provide speech-language and/or literacy intervention services for children who are struggling to communicate. These accessible services are provided through the philanthropy of the Scottish Rite Masons whose generous support helps fund scholarships for children to receive the care that they need.
The Walker Scottish Rite Clinic serves two-through six-year-old children with speech and language disorders, by helping improve the communication skills necessary to succeed at school, with peers, and in life. Recently, the Walker Scottish Rite Clinic at Maryville opened a satellite location in the Tabernacle Hub in North St. Louis City to provide a more accessible location for children and families around the Jeff-Vander-Lou neighborhood.
The conference kicks off with a fundraising event, Puttin’ for the Kids Golf Outing, on Wednesday, September 28, 2022 at the Bogey Hills Country Club.
The Children’s National Medical Center is organizing the educational content of the conference, making it eligible for up to 1.3 ASHA (American Speech & Hearing Association) CEUs. This conference is also eligible for up to 10.5 contact hours of Continuing Education from the Academic Language Therapy Association (ALTA), organizing by Texas Scottish Rite Hospital.
To learn more and register for Puttin’ for the Kids Golf Outing, click here.
To learn more and register for the National Children’s Language & Literacy Conference, click here.
About the Walker Scottish Rite Clinic
Serving the Greater St. Louis area since 1988, the Walker Scottish Rite Clinic, a 501(c)(3) charity organization provides services to children that are funded by corporate and foundation grants, special fundraising events, and individual donations. The Clinic receives no federal funding, and families are never charged for services, regardless of financial status or insurance coverage. Since its origin, all services have been free and accessible to preschool age children and were first located at the Scottish Rite Cathedral at 3633 Lindell Blvd. The Walker name was added in recognition of Earl and Myrtle Walker in 1996. In January 2015, the Walker Scottish Rite Clinic began a professional partnership with Maryville University to expand therapy opportunities for preschool age children.
About The LIGHT Foundation St. Louis The LIGHT Foundation was founded in 2016 by the Cockerham family and close friends with the shared mission to generate leadership and development opportunities for today’s youth. Building upon our involvement in several youth-focused organizations for several decades, we created The LIGHT Foundation with the unique purpose of collaborating with other non-profit entities with like-minded missions as well as producing programs and advantages for youth. The LIGHT Foundation supports the RiteCare mission to “help children communicate.”
About the Scottish Rite Foundation of Missouri The Scottish Rite Foundation of Missouri was incorporated in 1946. The Scottish Rite Foundation supports the four principle charities of the RiteCare Program, Youth Programs, Scholarships and Disaster Relief.